Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A History of the Quirks of the Church of Christ

Reviving the Ancient Faith: The Story of Churches of Christ in America by Richard Hughes

by Leave a Comment

Like many millennial Christians, my faith is central to my life but I don’t identify strongly with any particular sect or denomination. In fact, the whole denomination issue seems to me to be at worst be divisive, and at best a sort of menu of preferred “flavors” of church. That being said, I did grow up in the “Church of Christ” tradition. For the unfamiliar, CoC  can be quickly described as “Baptist, but with more communion and fewer guitars” or “libertarian church”. Since I’ve never […]

CBRBingo – True Story. Taylor Swift has NOTHING on Holmes

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

by Leave a Comment

CBR Bingo: True Story What. A. Mesmerizing. Mess.  I had only the most basic cliff noted exposure to the complete cluster that is Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, but like many things, the truth is indeed stranger than fiction. This is so cartoonish an outlandish tale that it seems to be an almost “ripped from the headlines” Law and Order style exposition: ready your popcorn, for this juicy and awful tale of lies and the downfall of genius in the healthcare industry. Carreyrou is an impeccable […]

“No, Dad, I’m not interested in getting a Ph.D., I want to make money.”

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

by 2 Comments

I picked this one up based on its very good Cannonball Read reviews and because I needed a book of non-violent true crime for the 2019 Read Harder Challenge. This book did not disappoint. I admit, some how I had missed the entire Theranos story as is broke in 2016, so I can to this narrative entirely unspoiled. I was in for quite the narrative ride. Bad Blood is the story of Elizabeth Holmes and the company she founded at 19 as a Stanford dropout, […]

One gutsy kid

Guts by Raina Telgemeier

by Leave a Comment

Guts is a graphic novel by Raina Telgemeier that is right up there with her other books. Her classic writing style of charm, realism, humor and basing events on her own experiences, Guts is a great book for the fan of Telgemeier. If there is one issue with the book, it is that it is just like Telgemeirer’s other books. Though the subject matter is different (this time Telgemeier talks about the times she was learning about her anxiety and fears and the effects it […]

The Title is (kind of) a Lie

The F*ck It Diet: Eating Should be Easy by Caroline Dooner

by 3 Comments

  Two notes: First, I’m not interested in having the “fat = unhealthy” argument in the comments. BTDT. If you’re the type of person “worried” about fat people’s health, I know. Keep it to yourself, kthx. Second, this is apparently the year of reading books that heavily feature “the F-word” and I swear there was a book out there somewhere about that word in particular that I should probably find, buy, and close the year out by reviewing.   (And now, some filler to keep […]

You’re a PhD!

Why we sleep by Matthew walker

by Leave a Comment

I’m in the process of reading this still, but had to start my review early because I was so irritated.  It may seem pedantic, but in a scientific book I expect facts to be accurate and held to rigorous standards. Only a few pages after writing that “the data infers” a result (nope, readers infer, data implies.  Unless data has gained sentience it can’t draw conclusions from what’s being reported, interpretation or inference is strictly for humans.  Data can imply, but not infer) this PhD […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo